The Magical Life of a Mortal Goddess: The Sorcerer's Stone
by Rebelgirl01
Summary: Ari's life is anything except simple. Her parents were killed when she was 1, she finds out she is a witch at 11, during her first year at a magical school she makes friends, has adventures and finds out her parents are not her birth parents and that she is a demigod. Can her life ever be simple? Probably not, but then that would be boring. Fem!Harry
1. Prologue

Prologue

As Poseidon crept towards his destination, he stuck to the shadows as much as possible. He did not want to be caught, especially not by another Olympian. He was going to the last place anybody would ever expect him to go. He was on his way to the house of his arch-rival, Athena. He approached the door that was his destination and knocked twice. Three seconds later an arm threw open the door and yanked him inside.

"You were not followed were you?" Athena interrogated as soon as she had relocked the door. "I don't want anybody to know about what has occurred."

"You know, for a goddess of wisdom getting into this mess in the first place was not very smart" snapped Poseidon.

"Don't you think I realize that? Just answer the question, kelp-head, so we can get on with what needs to be done" retorted Athena.

"No I was not followed. Amphitrite believes that I am somewhere in the Pacific Ocean solving an issue for a family of dolphins. Which I do need to do soon," responded Poseidon.

"Well then let's get this over with" Athena sighed. She really didn't want to do this, but it was the only option if she and Poseidon planned on staying out of serious trouble. Never did she dream that she would make a mistake such as this. She, Athena, had broken her oath to forever be a maiden. Not only had she broken it, but she had broken it with the person that she despised most on this planet. Now, a few months later, they were hiding the last traces of evidence of their crime.

She doesn't remember exactly how it had happened. She and Poseidon both remember going to her house to work on some plan or another for the council, probably the one for better housing in the southern part of Olympus. Anyway, they were about an hour into their arguing…ummm…planning and on something around their 5th round of drinks when things become blurry. The next thing either of them remembers is waking up in bed together, and Athena pushing a disgruntled Poseidon out the door swearing the whole while that he had better keep his big mouth shut. Unfortunately for them both, a couple days later she began exhibiting the symptoms and after a store bought test it was confirmed, Athena goddess of wisdom was pregnant by Poseidon.

Well, nine months later, nine long months of hiding, lying, and avoiding, their daughter had made her appearance. They named her Ari. She was the first full goddess born in centuries and her birth should have led to an enormous celebration. Instead, her parents were trying to figure out how to keep her a secret. After many long hours of arguing, they had agreed on a plan.

Both knew of Hecate's blessed ones who had formed their own sort of society. The gods were not allowed to interfere in it because it was Hecate's "pet project." Their daughter would be safe among these people and would not be found by their family.

"When is she going to be here?" Poseidon asked for the twelfth time.

"She will be here when she gets here and if you ask again I am going to gut you like the fish you are!" Athena snapped in response.

They both wanted to get the painful part over, because even if neither would admit it, they had come to love the little girl in the three days since she was born. Suddenly, there was a bright light and Hecate goddess of magic stood in the library of Athena.

"What is it that you have summoned me for?" inquired Hecate.

"We need your assistance with a problem" informed Athena.

"What problem would that be? I can't help you if I don't know what it is that I am helping with" pushed Hecate. To be honest she already had a feeling about what had happened. Most of the minor gods and goddesses did. While the two did great avoiding the Olympians they hadn't put as much of an effort into avoiding the minors.

"Well you see…" Poseidon began their story with Athena inputting details that Poseidon forgot or neglected to bring up.

"I see, well I can help you, and I know of just the family that little Ari can stay with. The wife just found out that she is incapable of having kids and they are looking to adopt. However, be warned for about the past ten years there has been chaos among my people. I am hoping that they will resolve it soon on their own but if not I will intervene" Hecate warned the two Olympians.

"Are you sure it will end soon?" questioned Poseidon. He didn't want to send his daughter into unknown danger. If it was between that and his family, he would risk his family finding out. Unknown to him Athena was thinking along the same lines.

"The issue is being taken care of. Now, were is the little one?" Hecate assured the parents with a small smile.

"She is in my room asleep. It is after all after 11 at night" replied Athena.

"Let's get this done. Athena go get her. The sooner this is over the better" Poseidon directed. If he was honest with himself he just didn't want to have to hold off good bye any longer than possible.

Athena left the room and came back a minute later with a baby girl bundled in a soft pink blanket. She lifted the corner of the blanket to reveal a rosy cheeked baby with black hair and stormy grey eyes.

"You two created a wonderful child. This is your last chance are you sure you want to give her up?" questioned Hecate.

"To be honest I would love nothing more than to raise her as she should be; however, we have both agreed to this. Now is not the time for a secret this big to be reveal" responded Poseidon with deep sadness in his eyes.

"Very well. Your daughter is a full goddess and that is her birthright. I will dampen her powers so that she is no more powerful than a strong demigod. Her powers will however be released upon her 18th birthday. You had better confront her by then or there will be serious issues" Hecate warned them.

Checking to make sure that they understood her warning, she grabbed Ari, covered her eyes and flashed to the home of the couple that would become Ari's adoptive parents. She arrived at the cottage in Godric's Hollow and walked swiftly towards the door. Hecate made sure on her way to the door that she was properly disguised. She knocked on the door and was answered a few seconds later.

"Yes, how can I help you?" A woman with long red hair and bright green eyes asked.

"Yes, I am from the hospital and have come to inform you that a child was left at the hospital after the parents decided that they could not take care of it. You left your name to be considered, and we were wondering if you would like to care for the little girl."

"Oh! Come in. James, get in here now!" the woman called in eagerness, her eyes brightening up considerably.

"What Lily-flower? Has Padfoot come with news from the Order?" James questioned as he entered the room.

"No. Apparently a couple put their little girl up for adoption and we have been chosen to take her in. Isn't this exciting?!" Lily exclaimed. "Can I hold her?"

Hecate handed Ari to Lily and leaned back on the couch waiting for the questions that were sure to come.

"Is this true…ummm?" James inquired realizing he doesn't know the lady's name.

"Sorry my name is Melanie. I work at the hospital. This little angel's name is Ari" responded Hecate.

"Well thank you very much for choosing us. We were devastated when we discovered that Lily was unable to have kids. That is why we signed up at the hospital" James thanked.

"Does this mean that you will adopt her" Hecate asked already knowing the answer.

"Of course, when do we fill out the paperwork?" asked Lily holding Ari and already falling in love with the little girl in her arms.

"There is no reason to worry about that. It has all already been taken care of," Hecate smirked. It was one of the perks of being a goddess, she could make documents that never existed before appear out of nowhere completely signed and authenticated.

"Well then thank you again. We promise to take care of her" James said with Lily nodding in the background.

With that, James showed Hecate to the door and Hecate flashed herself once she was around the corner back to her house on Mt. Olympus. She knew that this would not end completely well, but she hoped it all worked out in the end. Little did Hecate know, that in just over a year, little Ari Potter would lose her new family to a mad man who was trying to take over the wizarding world. She would be taken by an aged wizard to her aunt and uncle's to be raised. Her childhood would not be peaceful or cheerful, but it would definitely be eventful.


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

**AN: I do NOT own Harry Potter or Percy Jackson and all related Characters. That wonderful right goes to J. K. Rowling and Rick Riordan respectively. Besides if I did I would not be having problems with student loans. **

**Thank you for all of the wonderful reviews and to all that have followed and/or favorite. I am so sorry this is a few days late…the ice storm last Sunday knocked out the internet and it still isn't back up yet; however that is no excuse. Now on with the story.**

It was 11 years after the night that Hecate took Ari from Athena and Poseidon and a little under 10 years since she was left on the door step of her aunt and uncle. Ari Potter knew nothing of who she was or of either her birth or adoptive parents. She was currently asleep but that would not last long. At that moment, Aunt Petunia approached her door and pounded on it. "Get up now! It's Dudley's birthday, and I want everything to be perfect," Aunt Petunia screeched at the top of her lungs.

Ari's eyes snapped open knowing what the consequences would be if she did not get up. As she rolled over to grab her spider covered socks, she made sure to be careful of her bruised ribs. Her uncle had given her one of his "lessons" last night and she was still extremely tender. This one had been about how she should not act like a freak, and it was one of Uncle Vernon's favorites. As she stood up, she hit her head on the low ceiling. Honestly her room was too small for her; however, what does one expect when that room is a cupboard under the stairs.

There were a total of four rooms in the cookie cutter house in Surrey. The master bedroom which belonged to her aunt and uncle, the guest room which was most often frequented by Aunt Marge, and two bedrooms that belonged to her cousin Dudley. She never understood why Dudley needed two rooms, but he said he did so he was given them.

Ari quickly finished getting ready so not to incur the wrath of either her aunt or her uncle. She then made her way to the kitchen where the table was already buried under about 36 presents. She knew there were at least that many because Dudley never received less than 30. She made her way over to the stove and began cooking the breakfast that she would not receive any of.

"You better not burn a single piece of bacon. I want everything to be perfect for Dudley's special day and you will not ruin it," ordered Aunt Petunia while she ran around trying to organize the presents.

"Yes Aunt Petunia," muttered Ari. Honestly, it was the same every year so she learned not to expect anything different. In a few hours, the Dursleys would be on their way to the zoo, and she would be at Mrs. Figg's.

Mrs. Figg was the crazy cat woman of the neighborhood. Whenever the Dursleys went anywhere that even hinted at fun Ari was left with her. While there, Ari was forced to look at about five albums filled with pictures of every cat Mrs. Figg had ever owned. Tibbles, Snowy, Mr. Paws, and Tufty were her favorites. Honestly, Mrs. Figg creped Ari out. Sometimes she would be going on and on about all of her cats. Other times she would look at Ari like she knew some huge secret that Ari should want to know. One time, Ari had asked Mrs. Figg why she looked at her like that. Mrs. Figg only responded by saying, "You will find out soon enough child." Then she went back to cooing over her cats.

At that moment, Uncle Vernon and Dudley stormed into the room. Honestly one would thing Ari was raised by animals. Aunt Petunia resembled something between a horse and a giraffe with her facial features and long neck. Uncle Vernon had a mustache that resembled the whiskers of a walrus and the weight to compete with one. Dudley looked like a pig in a blonde wig, contrary to what Aunt Petunia insisted.

Dudley began opening his presents just as Ari served up breakfast, being careful not to spill anything. He had already ripped into a sling shot, a video camera, a plasma screen TV with a Blu-ray player, and a remote controlled car when he made a comment that Ari knew would come eventually.

"There are fewer here than there were last year," Dudley complained while opening a box that contained about 30 new movies.

"Yes, but some of them are bigger than last year," Aunt Petunia responded trying to cut off the tantrum. Ari just wished that Aunt Petunia had not even bothered. Most of the time, she just made it worse.

"I DON'T CARE HOW BIG THEY ARE! IT IS STILL LESS THAN LAST YEAR!" Dudley screamed at the top of his lungs.

"You still have to receive your presents from Piers, and then you get the traditional three presents on your birthday trip," appeased Aunt Petunia.

"Oh yeah! I forgot about those," Dudley answered as he went back to ripping into his presents.

Just then the phone rang, and Aunt Petunia went to go and answer it. When she came back she gave Ari a look that said "this is all your fault."

"The girl has done it again Vernon. Mrs. Figg can't take her. Something about having a meeting with a headmaster of some school that her nephew is going to in Scotland. So what are we going to do?" complained Aunt Petunia.

"We could call Marge," offered Vernon. Ari cringed. Aunt Marge was just as bad as Uncle Vernon when it came to "lessons."

"Nonsense Vernon, you know that it is that time of year that she hates to leave her precious dogs," responded Petunia. Ari for once was grateful to her aunt.

"What about locking her in the basement? Nobody will know. It will keep her out of the way and prevent the house from being blown up…again," Uncle Vernon questioned with a gleam in his eyes that Ari knew meant trouble.

Ari remembered the last time that she had been left in the basement. It had been last Christmas. The Dursleys had gone to France and left her in the basement with a few rations of food. Her uncle had wanted to make sure that she didn't revert back to her "freakish ways" while he was gone, so, he had chained her left ankle to the wall. It gave her enough length to reach the basement toilet and the rations, but not enough that she could get up the stairs and get out. He then gave her a quick lesson and left.

Their one week trip had turned into one month, and Ari ran out of food. Being chained to the wall, she did the only thing she could do, she screamed for help. She doesn't remember how is happened, but one moment she was screaming for help, and the next her chain breaks and the door to the basement explodes open. Of course the Dursleys arrived home ten minutes later.

"We can't Vernon. The neighbors still swear they heard screams from the last time. But, we could leave her in the car," Aunt Petunia replied.

"NO, NO, NO! She will not be staying in my new car," Uncle Vernon put down immediately.

"You could just leave me home. I won't blow up the house and would stay in my room," Ari offered hesitantly.

"And come home to find all the valuables missing and the house in ruins? I think not," snarled Uncle Vernon. "We will just have to take the freak with us."

The decision came not a moment too soon because at that moment the doorbell rang and standing on the threshold was Piers Polkiss, Dudley's best friend. Dudley was the leader of the local boys' gang. Piers was the one who would hold people while Dudley punched, kicked and otherwise beat the living daylights out of them. On several occasions, Piers had tried to kiss Ari when Dudley was done. While Ari was the gang's favorite target, they often could not catch her.

She was extremely skinny and small for her age. She had long black hair and stormy grey eyes. Overall, in her own opinion she looked pretty if not normal. The only unique thing about her was the scar upon her forehead in the shape of a lightning bolt. She had one time asked where it came from and Aunt Petunia had told her it came from the car crash your parents died in and don't ask questions.

Not asking questions was one of the ten rules to having a semi-peaceful life in the Dursley house. Among the others were do chores on time, don't speak or be seen unless called upon, don't do better than Dudley in school, and don't make a sound during Uncle Vernon's "lessons."

Soon after Piers arrived they all loaded into the car to go to the zoo and the new aquarium opening. Before she loaded into her seat in the back of the car, Uncle Vernon pulled her aside.

"Now I don't want any funny business from you today girl. If any of your freakishness happens today you will in your cupboard from now until New Years, no meals for a week and I will have to schedule another two or three lessons this week," Uncle Vernon threatened in a low whisper so that only Ari could hear.

"Yes Uncle Vernon," Ari answered as meekly as possible. She really didn't want another lesson. The bad thing was weird things just happened around her.

One time, while she was cooking dinner she had tripped on her way to the table. This of course had to happen on the night of one of Uncle Vernon's big business dinners. Anyway, she tripped, and the food went flying through the air. Just as it was about to hit the floor, the food froze, mid-air. Ari quickly gathered up the food and place it back on the plates. Unfortunately the damage was already done. Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia had been coming in to order her to hurry up and had seen the entire incident. After their guests had left, Uncle Vernon had taken Ari down to the basement and given her a lesson. She had ended up with three cracked ribs a busted lip, and innumerable scars upon her back. She was also grounded for a week. She was still given her meager meals though.

Another time, Aunt Petunia had given her a brown dress with orange puff balls. As Aunt Petunia tried to shove the dress over Ari's head it shrunk. Believing that it must have shrunk in the wash, Ari was not punished. Aunt Petunia instead gave her a dress that was white with lavender ribbons. Aunt Petunia even admitted herself that she did not like that brown dress but there was no point in wasting clothing.

Aunt Petunia believed that Ari should dress like a girl, but that she was not worth the money to go and buy new clothes. So at the beginning of every season, Aunt Petunia would go through her wardrobe and find what she didn't want anymore, didn't wear anymore, or didn't fit into anymore and it would go to Ari. Doing this, Ari was spared Dudley's hand-me-downs.

While she was spared that time, she was punished thoroughly for causing Dudley to go flying. She had been running from his gang, and they were actually going to catch her. Dudley went to grab her, she screamed and he went flying. There was no talking herself out of that one. Not even Ari could come with an excuse for what happened.

Anyway, she was determined that nothing would happen on this trip. They were on their way to the zoo and Uncle Vernon was ranting about all the things he hated: Ari, people at work, Ari, the bank, Ari, the government, Ari, motorcycles, Ari, Mr. or Mrs. Such and such, and Ari. On this particular trips it was fantasy creatures.

"Absolute nonsense that has no business in the minds of normal people. I mean come on pixie dust, magic, flying horses, giants, and leprechauns," Uncle Vernon ranted.

"I had a dream the other day about 10 foot tall people. They were arguing about something," Ari stated trying to be normal for her uncle.

"GIANTS DON'T EXIST!" roared Uncle Vernon as he turned around to yell at Ari. The car swerving around in its lane.

"I know they don't, and I never said that they did. It was just a dream," muttered Ari who wished she had just stayed quiet.

It was Saturday so the zoo was packed. Not to mention it was also the grand opening of the aquarium exhibit. They stopped at the entrance for Uncle Vernon to buy Piers and Dudley some large chocolate ice creams with nuts, whip cream, and hot fudge sauce. Because he could not pull her away before the lady asked, he also bought Ari a cheap lemon ice pop. Ari loved it.

They went to see the warthogs which Ari thought looked like Dudley. The only thing Dudley was missing was a pig's tail. They went to the bird house where the owls, who the guide said where probably asleep, all flocked down to see Ari. It was an open house so the birds could fly around. The guide was puzzled as to the strange behavior of the owls. They would not leave her until she looked at them when she reached the exit and told them to stay. Miraculously, they flew back to their branches and remained there.

They went to the new aquarium exhibit and Ari could have sworn she was hearing voices. Whether it was by the sharks, the tropical fish or the creatures found in the deepest part of the oceans she kept hearing voices, and they all said a variation of the same thing.

"_The Princess is here!"_

"_Hi, sea princess."_

"_Oh, I hope she likes us."_

"_What is she doing with gorilla-man, walrus-man, and horseface?"_

Every time, she would look around expecting to see some rich, finely dressed princess enter the room; every time there was nobody except normal everyday people and herself. All in all the day was going fine and Ari was having a wonderful time. She should have known that it would not last.

Their final stop of the day was at the reptile house. It was not the last stop by choice, they had still planned on going to see the dolphin show and of course there was still the wild cat exhibit. They entered the reptile house and almost immediately Dudley and Piers ran up to the largest snake in the room. The snake was asleep, but that didn't stop Dudley from making a nuisance of himself. He began pounding on the glass.

"Make him move! I want to see him kill something," Dudley ordered Uncle Vernon while giving Ari a meaningful look.

Uncle Vernon rapped on the glass, nothing happened.

"Do it again!" ordered Dudley again.

Uncle Vernon repeated his action.

"Do it…" Dudley began

"He's asleep!" Ari snapped. People were starting to stare.

"He's boring," complained Dudley, and he and Piers wandered off to see something else.

Ari took a look at the snake and muttered, "Sorry about him. He doesn't know what it feels like to be trapped in a cage. Having people order you around like you have nothing to do in your life except what they say."

The snake nodded his head like he understood. Ari smiled believing she had found a kindred spirit.

"At least you can understand me," whispered Ari. She didn't want to get caught doing something freakish. The snake nodded, and Ari could have sworn it smiled.

"My name is Ari. So how long have you been here for?" Ari questioned.

The snake pointed its tail to the sign next to the enclosure.

"Oh, that's me too. I have never known anything except captivity either," Ari admitted.

"MOM, DAD YOU GOT TO COME SEE WHAT THE SNAKE IS DOING!" shouted Dudley, "Move you!"

Ari didn't see him coming. He pushed her to the concrete floor. She was pretty sure her bruised ribs were now at least cracked. Ari wasn't sure what happened next all she knew was that she felt her anger bubble up inside her and then felt it release itself. Dudley and Piers who were leaning against the glass fell into the enclosure. The snake snapped at them as he slithered his way past the vanished glass.

"_Thank you Ari! Freedom here I come!" _

"No problem," Ari responded.

Unfortunately, it would be a problem. Once they were released from the enclosure Dudley and Piers coming up with stories about what had happened. By the time they returned to Privet Drive, the snake had apparently tried to eat them. Then Piers said something that was going to create many issues for Ari in the future.

"Ari was talking to it. Weren't you, Ari?" inquired Piers who didn't know the damage he had just caused.

After Piers had left, Uncle Vernon rounded on Ari. He grabbed her by the shoulder dragged her to her cupboard and threw her in.

"I warned you girl. You are not coming out for a month and no meals for a week," Uncle Vernon sentenced her. "I will be back later to give you your first extra lesson."

With that said, Ari was left in the darkness alone. It was around 10 when Uncle Vernon came back and dragged her to the basement for her lesson. Around 11:30, she was locked back in her cupboard with even more bruises. She listened carefully for her uncle's footsteps to go up the stairs. Once he was up there he wouldn't come back down until morning. She would then sneak out to get a bit of food, water and some bandages.

This was the life that Ari had grown accustomed to. She had long since given up hope that somebody would come a rescue her. There was no long lost relative that would discover her and make the Dursleys pay for what they had done to her. While she did meet the occasional person on the street who seemed to know her, nothing ever came of these encounters and the people always vanished before she could get a closer look. No, Ari was always on her own and nobody seemed to care.

She finally heard Uncle Vernon's footsteps thundering up the stairs, raining down spiders upon her head. She listened for a moment to make sure that he wasn't coming back down. Then, she quietly grabbed her wire hanger, stuck it out the grate on the door and pulled back the lock. She crept her way to the kitchen making sure not to run into any chairs, tables, or other pieces of furniture. She made her way to the fridge and took out one piece of cheese, and an apple. Ari then went to the bread box and added a slice of bread from the middle of the loaf to her bounty. Finally, she snuck over to the first aid cabinet and grabbed some of the older bandages in the back. She had a feeling that Aunt Petunia knew she snuck out and kept these here just for her. While her aunt held no love for her, she also did not believe in Ari bleeding all over her clean floor. She didn't want the neighbors to spread rumors. So the old bandages were left in the back of the cabinet. Ari then snuck back to her cupboard with her bounty, relocked the door with the wire hanger and began eating and treating the wounds she could reach. Oh well, it was only for the next month, unless she got into more trouble.


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

The punishment that Ari endured after the zoo incident was by far the harshest one yet in her almost ten years with the Dursleys. By the time that Uncle Vernon believed that she had earned her freedom, summer break was well under way, and Ari had a week left before she turned eleven. She didn't expect much. She had learned long ago not to make a big deal about her birthday.

She woke up on the 23rd of July basking in the feeling that was freedom. She walked into the kitchen and began to prepare breakfast for the Dursleys. Eggs, bacon, toast, tea, coffee, jam, and a bowl of fruit were the traditional choices in this household. Ari knew better than to divert from the normal unless told otherwise to.

She was just turning off the stove and serving the bacon when the Dursleys made their way into the kitchen. Ari finished placing the food on the table silently and then stood off to the side. If she was quiet and did as she told, she might receive breakfast this morning. Breakfast was going normally with the normal conversations about everyday things for a normal family, when the mail arrived.

"Well what are you waiting for? Go get the mail girl," ordered Uncle Vernon.

"Yes, sir," Ari replied. She was still hoping to receive a breakfast no matter how small.

Ari arrived at the door and scooped up the mail. She quickly shuffled through it to see what there was. There was an acceptance letter for Dudley to Uncle Vernon's alma mater, Smeltings. There was a letter from Aunt Marge to Uncle Vernon.

"Hopefully she isn't coming to visit us," thought Ari. More like she begged to herself.

There were then two more letters in the pile. One was addressed to Aunt Petunia from the neighborhood council and the final one was addressed to Ari. Ari stared at the address, hardly daring to believe her eyes. But, there it was in scarlet red ink:

**Miss A. Potter**

**The Cupboard under the Stairs**

**4 Privet Drive**

**Little Whinging**

**Surrey**

Thinking quickly, Ari shoved the letter into the back pocket of the old jeans she was wearing. She knew that if she was caught with the letter, she would not be allowed to keep it let alone read it. Ari gathered up the rest of the letters and made her way back into the kitchen. She placed the mail in front of Uncle Vernon and went back to her corner of the kitchen.

"Well now what have we here? Dudley this one is for you my boy. Well hurry up and tell us what it says," Uncle Vernon urged with a huge grin on his face.

Dudley quickly opened his letter, tried to read the first line, and handed the letter to his father.

"Congrats my boy. You are going to my old school starting in the fall. Petunia it is time to go shopping for uniforms for Dudley and while we are at it we need to dye some of your old things for her," Uncle Vernon declared.

"Yes Vernon. I am so happy my little Dudleykins is going to one of the best private schools possible," Aunt Petunia said tearing up.

"Well girl, you have done well enough. Grab a piece of bread and get out," ordered Uncle Vernon.

"Yes sir," Ari answered. She practically ran to the bread box, and she was on her way out the door when Dudley decided to have one of his few observant moments.

"Dad, Ari has something in her pocket," Dudley tattled while smirking at the horror stuck look on Ari's face.

"Bring it here girl! Now!" Uncle Vernon bellowed.

Ari knew better than to argue and handed Uncle Vernon the letter. Uncle Vernon took a look at the address and then the seal on the back. His face changed colors faster than Ari had ever seen. It went from normal, to red, to purple, to green, to grey, and finally to white.

"Oh great, now I have done it," Ari thought.

"I want you both out of here now," Uncle Vernon declared.

"But I am not done eating," whined Dudley.

"Take it upstairs. Just get out," Uncle Vernon ordered starting to turn purple.

"Can I have my letter first?" Ari questioned and then immediately regretted it.

Uncle Vernon grabbed both Ari and Dudley by the backs of their shirts and threw them into the hallway. Dudley made his way upstairs with his plate of food while Ari decided to eavesdrop at the door.

"What do we do Vernon? How do they know where the girl is sleeping?" questioned Petunia.

"They are most likely watching the house. You know all those weird people the girl keeps running into. She has most likely lied to one of them about how we treat her," declared Uncle Vernon.

"Most likely, but what are we going to do?" repeated Petunia.

"We ignore the letters. If they get no reply, they will eventually give up," replied Uncle Vernon.

"Do you honestly think that will work?" Aunt Petunia questioned.

"It had better. I will not stand to have one of _them_ in my house. We swore when we took her in that we would stamp all of that nonsense out of her. That we would make her into a normal model citizen, and I plan on doing just that. I mean you saw the effect that my last lesson had on her. The girl has finally learned not to question me," Uncle Vernon responded.

Ari listened for a few more minutes and then crept her way to her cupboard. She thought about what she had heard. He uncle and aunt were keeping secrets from her. Apparently she was supposed to grow up into something that they did not like. More than likely it had something to do with her parents.

She could not really think of anything that her aunt and uncle hated except herself of course. The only thing that they had really been strict about as she grew up was that Dudley was to always come first in everything and there was to be absolutely no mention of anything even remotely resembling magic. Magic was not real. That was among the first things she had been given a lesson about.

That evening, Uncle Vernon visited Ari in her cupboard for the first time since her last lesson. At first, she was wondering what she had done but then Uncle Vernon broke her from her thoughts.

"Your Aunt and I have noticed that you have become a bit too big for the cupboard. You are to move your stuff to Dudley's second room. Now!" Uncle Vernon ordered her.

"Why the sudden change?" Ari questioned. It wasn't like they had ever done anything that nice for her before.

"Because, I said so. And, don't ask questions!" Uncle Vernon snapped.

"More like it has to do with that letter and the way that it was addressed to me," muttered Ari.

It took only one trip for Ari to move her stuff upstairs. She then promptly began to pick up all the broken toys and toss them into the boxes along one wall. Dudley's junk might still be in this room, but that did not mean that she had to be tripping on it. She made sure to get rid of the spiders and spider webs that were manifesting in the corners of the room. When she was in the cupboard, spiders where something that she had to deal with. While she had got used to them, that did not mean that she in any way like them. There had just been no use complaining or freaking out because she would have got into trouble. However, now that she was in an actual room, she wasn't putting up with any of those 8 legged creepy crawlies. After living with Dudley for almost ten years she had somewhat of a cleaning fetish. While she was not as obsessed as Aunt Petunia, she still believed that everything should have its proper place.

Ari came to a stack of books that were the only items in the room not damaged, and she decided to keep them on the shelf near her bed. The books included classics such as _Oliver Twist_, _Tale of Two Cities_, and _Beowulf _and then more fantasy stories such as _the Lord of the Rings_ and _the Chronicles of Narnia_. All in all, while she was happy to have an actual room, she still wanted to have that letter.

Ari spent the rest of her day switching between doing chores for the Dursleys and tidying her bedroom. Dinner that night was roast beef, mashed potatoes and green beans. Of course, Ari's dinner was two plain pieces of toast and one slice of moldy cheese. After doing the dishes and cleaning the kitchen up to Aunt Petunia's standards, she returned to her room ready to crash on the lumpy mattress.

It was about 2 in the morning when Ari heard an incessant knocking at her window. Wait a minute she was on the second floor how was that possible. Now wide awake, Ari climbs out of bed and creeps over to the window, making sure not to make the floorboards creak. She pulled back the curtains just as the knocking started up again. She could not believe what she saw. There at the window was probably the most beautiful creature that she had ever seen.

Staring back at Ari with determined amber eyes was a snowy owl. Clutched in the owl's talons were two letters. Ari quickly let the owl inside, and once the window was open wide enough, it swooped in and landed majestically and gracefully on the footboard of the bed. Ari quickly walked over and retrieved the letters. There were two letters as she had noted before; however, they seemed to be from two different people. The first letter was one that was similar to this morning's, and it was addressed to:

**Miss A. Potter**

**The Smallest Bedroom**

**4 Privet Drive**

**Little Whinging**

**Surrey**

"Well," Ari thought as she stared at the letter. "I am most definitely not letting Uncle Vernon get this one."

"_I would open the other one first m'lady"_

"Woah, who said that?" Ari looked around for the source of the voice but could find none.

"_I did but that is not important. You need to read both those letter. However, read the unofficial one first." _

Ari looked over at the owl and then a thought popped into her head.

"Are you the one that is talking to me?" Ari questioned but she had a feeling she already knew the answer.

"_Yes, m'lady"_

"Ok, it is the snake all over again," muttered Ari. She was beginning to wonder why it was that she seemed to be able to talk to almost all of the animals that she ran into. However, she decided to take the owls advice first and ask questions later.

With that she quickly took a look at the second letter. The hand writing on this one was different, almost as though it was a personal letter. There was no address on this one just her name written in scrawly handwriting.

Ari decided that she should probably listen to the voice and open this one first, and it turns out that it was the correct decision.

**Miss Potter,**

**You will be ready to be picked up at precisely nine a.m. on July 31st. Due to the fact that you seem incompetent enough to have not responded to your first letter, I have taken the liberty of mailing you a duplicate. Do not lose it. I will not send a third. Now, read over this letter and its contents carefully, and I will pick you up at the above mentioned time. I will answer any questions you have that I deem necessary to answer at that time, and we will retrieve your supplies.**

**Professor S. Snape**

There was one more line, but the handwriting was different: more elegant and smooth than the first style.

**PS. You may keep the owl but be careful she bites.**

"Ok, that is straightforward enough," whispered Ari as she began to open the letter that was identical to the one from this morning. "Question is though, who is Professor Snape and what does he mean by 'we will retrieve your supplies?' What do I need supplies for?"

"_He is an angry man that can't seem to be polite to anybody that he meets. I only nibbled on his finger a couple of times to get him to hurry up. He has a horrible disposition," _

"Oh, thank you," said Ari.

Ari opened the second letter and was surprised to say the least at what she saw.

**Dear Miss Potter,**

**We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find the enclosed list of all necessary books and equipment.**

**The term starts on September 1 and the train leaves promptly at 11 from platform 93/4. Do be on time.**

**Yours Sincerely,**

**Professor M. McGonagall**

**Deputy Headmistress**

"What on earth! This can't be serious. There is no way that I am a witch. But then again, this does fit with what Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon were discussing earlier. If they thought magic was real and that I had it, then, that would explain what they were talking about stomping out of me," Ari rationalized.

After thinking that way, Ari began to see that maybe this letter wasn't so far fetched after all. It would explain all the weird stuff that has happened around her that she could never explain before. Well, all she knew was that she would have to wait until the end of the week for this Professor Snape to arrive. Hopefully he would deem it "necessary" to answer some of her questions. For now she was going to go to bed. Giving the owl that was apparently now hers one last look she dozed off for the night.

"_Good night, little mistress."_


	4. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

"Girl! You had better be dressed and down stairs in 5 minutes or else you will not like the consequences," Uncle Vernon bellowed from downstairs.

The sound of her uncle's voice had Ari leaping from bed and running around trying to find her clothes. She still couldn't believe what had happened last night. And, if it had not been for the beautiful owl staring at her from her desk, she would have thought it all a dream.

"Morning little one," Ari stated giving a big yawn.

_"Good morning m'lady."_

"Do you know why I can understand you?" Ari asked.

_"No m'lady. Is that man always that loud m'lady?"_

"Unfortunately, yes. Please try to be quiet. If my uncle, aunt, or cousin were to hear you, they would make me get rid of you, or worse," Ari warned in a whisper. All of a sudden there was a pounding on Ari's door.

"Get out here now!" Uncle Vernon ordered.

"I'm still changing, and it hasn't been five minutes yet," Ari responded, but realized instantly that it was the wrong thing to say.

"That's it! You don't back talk me," Uncle Vernon yelled as he tried to open the door.

"Good thing I locked it last night," Ari thought as she looked around quickly for a place to hide her new owl.

_"M'lady you might want to think of something."_

"I'm thinking, give me a second," Ari stated beginning to panic.

_"No offense meant m'lady, but think faster."_

"First of all, it's Ari. Second of all, come here quickly," Ari stated suddenly having an idea.

_"Yes, m'lady."_

"It's Ari," reminded Ari.

As soon as the owl landed gently on her arm, Ari ran over to the wardrobe and placed the owl inside. It didn't happen a moment too soon, because Uncle Vernon finally got the door open with the master key.

"Morning Uncle Vernon," stated Ari as she made a show of pulling on a sock.

"Downstairs, now! Some of us have places to go today," Uncle Vernon ordered as he grabbed her and pushed her out of the bedroom.

Meanwhile, Ari's owl made herself comfortable on the pile of blankets and old sweaters and fell asleep thinking that at least she was comfortable.

Downstairs, Ari was preparing breakfast for the Dursleys when the mail arrived.

"Go get the mail Dudley," Uncle Vernon ordered.

"I don't want to. Make Ari get it," Dudley whined.

"No, you go get it," Uncle Vernon ordered his son.

"Whatever," muttered Dudley as he went to get the mail.

Two minutes later, Dudley walked back in, handed the mail to his father and continued eating.

"Well, it appears that I was correct. That letter was addressed to you by mistake because there is not another one here," gloated Uncle Vernon.

"Of course Uncle Vernon," Ari replies meekly while thinking, "That's what you think."

The rest of the day went calmly as far as days at the Dursley house are concerned. Uncle Vernon was in such a good mood due to the lack of letters that he actually let Ari eat all three meals with the family. Of course, her portions were still far too small.

After, doing the dishes, dusting the house, cleaning the windows, mowing the lawn, pruning the bushes and trees, and making lunch, Ari was permitted to go upstairs until it was time to make dinner. Ari walked over to the wardrobe to find her new friend fast asleep in a makeshift nest.

"Hey little one, it's time to get up. You can come out of the closet now," Ari stated in calm voice as she gently shook the owl.

_"Hello m'lady. Are you back for the day?" _

"No, I still have to make dinner and do those dishes. Sorry for shoving you in the wardrobe, it was the only place I could think of," Ari apologized.

_"It's ok m'lady. It was actually quite comfortable."_

"So, do you have a name?" Ari asked realizing she still didn't know what to call the owl.

_"Not until you give me one."_

"Well then, I will have to come up with one shortly," responded Ari.

With that, Ari decided to grab one of the books off the shelf. A few hours and half of _Les Miserable_ later, Ari heard Uncle Vernon's car pull up the driveway and decided it was time to go prepare dinner.

"I'll be back later," Ari stated as she moved over to the window. "While I am gone, why don't you go find some food."

_"Thank you m'lady. I will be back when I see your light turn off."_

With that the owl flew off, and Ari prepared a delicious meal of chicken enchiladas and Spanish rice. She was just finishing the dishes when her uncle decided that he wanted to have a word with her.

"Your aunt says you need to get your uniform off the clothes line before it gets ruined. Also, in your spare time, go through Dudley's old school supplies and grab what you need," Uncle Vernon stated.

"Yes sir," Ari answered.

"You are to stay in here the remainder of the night, and I don't want to hear a sound," Uncle Vernon continued.

"Yes sir. Anything else." Ari responded.

Without answering her, Uncle Vernon turned around and left the room. Once she was sure he had made it to the bottom of the stairs, she turned off her lights. Seconds later, the owl came in through the window.

"How was your hunt?" Ari asked the little owl.

_ "Good. For a polished neighborhood, they sure have a lot of mice."_

Ari laughed at this, thinking how that statement would freak out her aunt. It was a very funny image.

"Where do you want to sleep?" Ari asked.

_"Can I sleep in the box you put me in earlier?"_

"You found the wardrobe comfortable?" Ari questioned to see if she heard correctly.

_"Yes m'lady."_

"Sure if you want to," Ari answered and she opened the wardrobe for the owl.

With that, both of them went to sleep for the night. The rest of the week went pretty much the same way. Ari received small meager meals, because Uncle Vernon was happy that no more letters had arrived.

The morning of July 31st arrived quickly, and Ari was officially 11. She woke up at seven to make sure she had all her chores done before Professor Snape arrived. Her relatives still did not know about his impending arrival, and she was nervous about what their reaction would be.

Ari crept downstairs and began to prepare the breakfast that was served every day in the Dursley house; fried eggs, toast with jam, orange juice, coffee or tea, bacon, and hash browns. She was in the process of setting the table when the first sounds of the Dursleys stirring reached her. About five minutes later, Aunt Petunia was the first to arrive. Aunt Petunia looked around and was surprised to see that not only did she not have to wake Ari up, but she also didn't have to get Ari up making breakfast.

"Good morning Aunt Petunia. Breakfast will be ready in a few minutes," greeted Ari.

Aunt Petunia merely nodded and sat down at her seat. Ari poured her Aunt a cup of tea. The sugar and cream were on the table. The next Dursley to arrive was Uncle Vernon, and he just walked in and sat down.

"Get my coffee girl," Uncle Vernon ordered.

"Yes sir," Ari responded as she placed a cup of coffee in front of her uncle.

"Good to see that you are finally learning your responsibilities. It looks like the lessons are paying off finally. Of course, they will still have to continue to make sure that they stick permanently," Uncle Vernon commented casually while watching his niece tend to the food.

Dudley came down the stairs just as Ari was placing the final plate on the table.

"Good morning my little Duddy-kins. Do you have any plans today?" Aunt petunia gushed at her son.

"Yeah. Going over to Piers'. He got the new video game," Dudley responded as he attempted to drown his toast in strawberry jam.

"What about you Vernon?" Aunt Petunia questioned.

"We are expecting a big order of drills today from America. So, I might be home a bit late," Uncle Vernon responded.

"Ari, your list of chores is on the counter for when you are done with the dishes," reminded Aunt Petunia.

"Actually Aunt Petunia, I have plans today," Ari stated cautiously as she began to inch towards the door.

"What plans? With whom?" Aunt Petunia questioned noticing that Uncle Vernon was about to start yelling.

"Well...you see...,"Ari began, but the doorbell rang before she could even attempt to explain.

"Go get the door Ari," Uncle Vernon ordered while still trying to keep his temper so that whoever was at the door didn't hear him.

Ari ran to the door already expecting who it was, and she didn't want to keep her professor waiting. Ari opened the door to greet a man who looked like he would rather be anywhere except here. The man was thin with sallow skin and a crooked nose. It looked as though it had been broken many times. He was dressed in what looked like a robe. Uncle Vernon was not going to approve.

While she was taking in his outward appearance, he was taking in hers. To say he was not impressed would be an understatement. He knew that the girl was adopted, but he thought that Petunia would still care for the child. However, before him a girl who looked to be seven, not eleven and was wearing clothes that could easily be a tent for the girl.

"Are you going to invite me in Miss Potter?" The man asked after overcoming his shock.

"Ummm...what? Oh yes, of course professor," Ari stumbled as she stood aside to allow her new professor inside.

"Are you always this eloquent? Never mind I can guess the answer to that. Now, where are your aunt and uncle? I need to discuss a few things with them before we leave," the professor stated while looking around.

"I know how to talk, and they are in the kitchen," Ari responded. She was getting the impression that this teacher was difficult to impress.

"That remains to be seen, and don't be disrespectful. Lead the way," then professor said.

Ari led the way to the kitchen. The professor continued to look around as they went. When they entered the kitchen, all three Dursleys looked up.

"Well who was at the door girl?" Uncle Vernon questioned not seeing the man behind his niece.

"Uncle Vernon, Aunt Petunia, this is Professor Snape. He has come to take me shopping for my supplies. These are the plans that I was telling you that I already had," responded Ari who wondered if she should hide behind the professor.

"And when were these plans made? I don't remember you getting a call, letter, or email," Uncle Vernon snapped.

"I sent your niece a letter when the owl that delivered her Hogwarts letter returned with no response," the professor answered.

"And just who are you?" Uncle Vernon questioned not liking where this was going.

"I am Professor Snape, professor of potions and head of Slytherin house at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry," Professor Snape answered. "I am to assume that you have explained everything to Miss Potter and it was sheer negligence on her part that prevented Hogwarts from getting a response."

"No. We sent no response, because she will not be going. I refuse to have a freak in this household," Uncle Vernon yelled.

"Great...you just made my job even more difficult muggle. Ari what do you know of your parents and your abilities?" Professor Snape inquired.

"I know that mom and dad died in a car crash. Dad was a good for nothing, lay- around drunk. I keep making things happen without meaning to. Also, I can talk to snakes and the owl you sent me. By the way, what do you mean by it bites?" Ari answered the question with all the information she could think of.

"What do you mean owl?" Uncle Vernon questioned.

"After you took my first letter, they sent me a second on and told me to keep the owl," Ari answered.

"First of all, your parents did not die in a car crash, and your dad, loath as I am to say it, was not a drunk. Lily and James are your adoptive parents. You were brought to them by someone from the hospital when you were a few days old. Next, they did not die in a car crash. They were murdered by an evil wizard. He tried to kill you and failed. That is where you scar came from," Professor Snape tried to explain all this as quickly as possible.

"What was the wizard's name?" Ari asked.

"Nobody speaks the name. However, it can't do you any harm to know. He was called Voldemort. Everyone calls him you-know-who. I recommend you do the same," Professor Snape responded.

"Did you know my parents?" Ari asked.

"I knew your mother yes. I also knew your aunt. Isn't that right Tuney?" Professor Snape asked turning his attention to the Dursleys.

"You were a freak of a boy then, and I can see you haven't changed. The girl isn't going," Aunt Petunia.

"We swore we would stamp the nonsense out of her. She just needs more lessons is all. Plus, I am not paying for all the books and supplies that are required," Uncle Vernon added.

"Then it is a good thing she doesn't require your assistance to buy the necessary supplies. One more thing, don't ever let me catch you threatening abuse upon a child, magical or otherwise. Those kinds of actions are not tolerated," Professor Snape threatened.

"Now, Miss Potter let's go. We have many supplies to buy, and I have potions I need to return to," Professor Snape instructed.

"Professor, may I bring the owl with me? I need to get supplies for her too, and the Dursleys might hurt her if I leave her," Ari inquired.

"Go get her quickly," Professor Snape responded.

Ari ran upstairs and into her room.

"Come on, the professor is here to take me to get my supplies and you are coming," Ari told the owl.

_"Yes m'lady."_

The owl flew and landed gracefully upon Ari's shoulder. Ari ran downstairs to find Professor Snape waiting for her by the door.

"Tell her to meet us at the Leaky Cauldron. We can't take her on the subway with us," Professor Snape instructed.

"Can you meet us at the Leaky Cauldron?" Ari asked.

_"Yes m'lady. I know the way. I will meet you by the back entrance to Diagon Alley."_

The owl flew off. Hopefully knowing where she was going.

"She said she would meet us by the back entrance to Diagon Alley," Ari told the professor.

"Good. Let's go," said Professor Snape, and he led Ari out the door.

Ari had a feeling that her life was about to change drastically, and she was excited. She followed Professor Snape down the street for a day of excitement.


	5. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

** Many apologies. Internet went out, got it back, laptop died, got it back, three days later it died again the same way, have yet to get it back, and internet is dead again. On top of it all finals, projects and essays...oh my! Anyway I finish this week.**

** Once more, I do NOT own Harry Potter or Percy Jackson. **

Ari and Professor Snape made their way down the street in silence, and it was uncomfortable. Ari hadn't wanted anybody to know what her home life was like, and now, Professor Snape knew.

"Tell me, Miss Potter, how long has your uncle been beating you?" Professor Snape asked.

"My uncle doesn't..." Ari began to deny using one of her ready-made excuses for such occasions.

Professor Snape stopped abruptly and looked Ari straight in the eyes.

"Do not attempt to lie to me Ari. I know the signs of an abusive household. Now, how long?" Professor Snape interrupted.

"Since I was three and weird stuff began to happen around me," Ari responded.

"That 'weird stuff' as you so eloquently put it is called accidental magic, and your aunt knew that," explained Professor Snape as he began to walk again.

"Then why didn't she explain it to me?" Ari inquired a bit hurt that her aunt had known what was happening and had never told her.

"Jealous, Miss Potter. Simple jealousy," Professor Snape answered.

They continued on in silence. Ari was trying to figure out what else in her life was a lie. She wanted answers; unfortunately, the only person she knew who could give her answers obviously didn't want to talk to her. Professor Snape on the other hand was thinking of what exactly he was going to tell the annoying old man that calls himself headmaster.

By now, they had taken a bus and a subway to get to Loudon and were walking down a sidewalk. The silence was starting to get to Ari, and she was having way to much time to think. Ari was starting to wonder if this was all a joke or some grand scheme to kidnap her. Maybe she should have just been grateful to go to Stonewall.

"This isn't a joke or a scheme," said Professor Snape out of nowhere.

"How did you know what I was thinking?" Ari questioned starting to get creeped out.

"Your emotions are written on your face. Now, do you have your list of supplies with you?" Professor Snape answered.

"Yes. It's right here," Ari answered taking a look at the list.

** All students require the following items.**

** Uniform:**

**Three sets of plain work robes (black)**

**One plain pointed hat (black) for everyday wear**

**One pair of dragonhide gloves**

**One black winter cloak with silver fastenings**

** Parents are reminded that the student's name needs to be on ALL belongings.**

**Course Books**

**One of each**

**The Standard Book of Spells (Grade 1)**

**A History of Magic**

**Magical Theory**

**A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration**

**One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi**

**Magical Drafts and Potions**

**Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them**

**The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection**

**Equipment**

**1 wand**

**1 standard size 2 pewter cauldron**

**1 set of glass or crystal phials**

**1 telescope**

**1 set of brass scales**

**1 owl OR cat OR toad**

** Parents of first years are reminded that first years are not permitted to bring their own brooms.**

"Where are we going to go to get all of this," Ari questioned.

"Your owl already told you," replied Professor Snape.

"No, she said that she would meet us at the back entrance to someplace called the Leaky Cauldron, Ari denied.

Professor Snape gave her a look that asked if she was truly that clueless. Upon seeing that she had no epiphany, he enlightened her, "The Leaky Cauldron is in front of the entrance to Diagon Alley. That is where we will buy your supplies."

"Oh, are we almost there?" Ari questioned while looking around.

"We are here," replied Professor Snape as he stopped in front of an old building.

Ari looked around, but people just continued to walk past the building as if they didn't even see it. She had a feeling that they were the only ones who could see it.

"Let's go, and stay close," Professor Snape said as he ushered Ari inside the building.

It took a few moments for Ari's eyes to adjust to the lack of light. However, once they did, she saw the oddest assortment of beings she had ever seen. In the dim lighting of the room, Ari could just make out the weirdest assortment of people that she had ever seen. There were people in cloaks, ratty worn out clothes, and clothes that just plain did not match. Ari firmly believed that Aunt Petunia would have a heart attack if she ever saw such a sight.

"Come on Ari," Professor Snape urged. People were beginning to look at the couple who had just entered. Most of them recognized the grumpy potions professor; however, many were doing a double take at the girl that was with him. A few had recognition dawning upon their faces, and one such person came over.

"Miss Potter, it is an extreme honor to finally meet you," a woman whose name was apparently Doris Crockford exclaimed.

After that it was like the floodgates had opened wide. There was a sudden sound of chairs scraping the hardwood floor as nearly everybody jumped up from their seats to welcome the girl-who-lived. Ari was forced to shake hands with and be introduced to more people in the span of 5 minutes than she had in her first eleven years. She was introduced to a bubbly man named Dedalus Diggle, and she was happy to realize that he was one of the people who used to wave to her on the street but would then vanish.

"ALRIGHT! THAT IS ENOUGH!" Professor Snape yelled over the noise of the crowd. "Miss Potter has shopping to do, and needs to get moving."

The crowd quickly parted making way for the pair to get to the back door. Everybody that is except for one man who seemed to be trembling. When the crowd stepped back, he stepped forward. He was obviously nervous about something with the way that his body was trembling and his hand were fidgeting with the edge of his robe.

"P-pleased to s-s-see you here, P-P-Professor S-Snape, the man stammered horribly. Ari could already tell that she would not be able to talk to this person for an extended period of time without going crazy.

Professor Snape's head snapped towards the man and something akin to worry flashed through his eyes. He subtly stepped in front of Ari. Ari had no idea what was going on but it was obvious to her that Professor Snape did not like this man.

"Indeed. Ari, this is Professor Quirrell. He will be in charge of teaching you Defense Against the Dark Arts," Professor Snape explained while his eyes did not stray from Professor Quirrell.

"P-Potter, very p-pleased to meet you," Professor Quirrell stammered as he moved to shake Ari's hand.

"I do believe that I stated, Quirrell, that Miss Potter needed to get moving on her shopping," Professor Snape intervened. "Let's go, Ari."

"Of c-co-course. S-Sorry to k-keep you," Professor Quirrell apologized as the pair continued their way out of the pub.

Ari had a feeling that something was not right with that guy; however, she did not know what. For now, she decided to just keep her eyes open.

"You would do well not to be caught alone with Professor Quirrell, Ari," Professor Snape warned.

"Why is that, Professor?" Ari questioned.

"Nothing you need to be concerned with, just do it," Professor Snape snapped.

"Yes, sir," Ari replied. "However, I was already thinking of avoiding him. I don't think I could handle listening to that annoying stammer any more than necessary."

Ari thought that for a second she saw Professor Snape's lips twitch as he tried not to smile at that comment. However, when she looked closer, she saw that he was just as stern faced as normal.

They made their way out the back door of the pub and stopped in front of the brick wall. All of a sudden, something landed on Ari's shoulder and she let out a scream. Professor Snape snapped around with his wand out; however, what he saw caused him to roll his eyes in exasperation.

"Really, Potter, it is just your owl," Professor Snape said.

Ari opened her eyes to see that it was indeed her new friend resting upon her shoulder.

"_Did I scare you, m'lady?"_

"Only a little. Next time please don't land on me without me knowing," Ari requested.

"_Of course m'lady. Next time, I shall make sure you see me coming or make a lot of noise."_

"Miss Potter," Professor Snape called trying to get his student's attention. "In the future, it might be more prudent not to be talking to an owl in public."

"Why is that professor?" Ari questioned.

"It is not deemed normal to be able to communicate with owls. So, unless you want people muttering about you being a dark witch before you even arrive at Hogwarts, I recommend that you refrain from talking to her until you get home," Professor Snape responded. He honestly hoped that Ari took his advice. He really did not want to have to deal with the consequences if she didn't.

"Ok," answered Ari not completely understanding why talking to her owl was dark.

With that accomplished, Professor Snape proceeded to tap the brick wall. Ari then watched in amazement as the wall opened up like some secret passageway.

"This, Ari, is Diagon Ally," Professor Snape explained and watched as Ari's eyes lit up in excitement.

Ari truly believed she would need six more eyes as she tried to take in everything. The street was lined on either side by mix-match buildings. None of them were the same and yet they all seemed to belong. The street was crowded as adults ran this way and that trying to find the items they were searching for or trying to gather up their fleeing children. The children were however not to be restrained as they ducked under adults and pushed through crowds trying to see everything and anything.

Items were lined up outside the shops. Owls, cats, bats, cauldrons, and weird looking clothes. Ari tried to take in everything, but knew it was impossible.

"Come on, Miss Potter, and stick close. I would rather not have to explain to people how you got lost on my watch" Professor Snape's voice called her away from her observations.

They picked their way through the crowd. From what Ari could tell, they were heading towards the large white marble building at the end of the alley. Professor Snape made certain to keep Ari in front of him at all times. They walked up the steps and were bowed through the bronze doors by the strangest creature Ari had ever seen.

Before they entered the silver doors, Ari stopped to read the poem:

**Enter, stranger, but take heed**

**Of what awaits the sin of greed,**

**For those who take, but do no earn,**

**Must pay most dearly in their turn.**

**So if you seek beneath our floors**

**A treasure that was never yours,**

**Thief, you have been warned, beware**

**Of finding more than treasure there.**

"I would believe the warning Miss Potter. The goblins do not easily forgive as you will learn in your history of magic class," Professor Snape advised.

"What exactly do the goblins do, Professor?" Ari inquired.

"They run the bank and protect the treasure left in their care. There are other tasks, but for now that is all you need to know. Now, here is your key. Since you are now eleven it is your responsibility not to lose it," Professor Snape responded.

With that, he led Ari through the silver doors and up to a goblin that was not helping another customer.

"Miss Potter, wishes to visit her vault," Professor Snape informed the goblin.

"Does Miss Potter have her key?" was the response of the goblin's rough voice.

"Right here," Ari stated simply as she handed the goblin her key.

"Follow Griphook. He will take you to your vault," instructed the goblin as another one walked forward, took the key and began to lead them away.

Ari could think of only one word to describe the rail cart ride that led them down to her vault: awesome. Going death defying speeds around sharp turns and steep hills, Ari could think of nothing better. Professor Snape on the other hand was turning a spectacular shade of green and looked to be struggling to hold on to his breakfast. At one point, Ari could of sworn that she saw something at the bottom. She leaned so far over to get a better look that she was in serious danger of falling out. Professor Snape yanked her back in while asking if she had a death wish.

The cart finally came to a stop in front of a vault with the numbers 687 on it. Ari looked around and noticed there were only a few other vaults within sight.

"This way," Griphook stated as he walked towards the vault.

He opened the door and stood to the side. Ari looked inside and noticed that it was almost completely full of weird coins. It didn't look at all like the money she had seen her aunt and uncle use. She looked to Professor Snape hoping to get an explanation, and luckily, he seemed to understand.

"The gold ones are called galleons, the silver ones are called sickles and the bronze ones are called knuts. The conversion rates are not as straight forward as muggle money. One galleon equals 17 sickles or 493 knuts and one sickles equals 29 knuts," Professor Snape explained.

"This all belonged to my parents?" Ari questioned. She could not believe after almost 10 years of hearing her aunt and uncle complain that she actually had money.

"Yes, this is the vault that your parents set aside for you to learn the value of budgeting and spending wisely. There are other Potter family vaults that you will gain access to upon your majority," Professor Snape explained.

"Why would they do this for me? It's not like I am their-" Ari started.

"Stop right there, Miss Potter," Professor Snape interrupted already knowing where her statement was heading. "You might not be their daughter by birth, but the Potters loved you just the same. In their eyes, you were theirs. In their wills, they left you everything except for some monetary stuff that went to some friends."

"Ok, how much should I take? I don't know how much anything costs," Ari asked and then explained upon seeing the weird look the professor was about to give her.

"Grab one galleon work of knuts, 4 galleons worth of sickles, and about 75 galleons. That should get you your supplies and extra money if you have to owl for anything during the school year," Professor Snape directed.

Ari did as he said and then they both headed back towards the cart.

"You will remain seated or you will receive your first detention before school even starts Miss Potter," Professor Snape ordered as he noticed Ari starting to lean over the cart again; needless to say, she sat back down.

They arrived back outside and had to wait a few minutes for their eyes to adjust to the major difference in lighting.

"Let's get you measured for your robes and uniform first, Miss Potter. Then Madam Malkin can work on them while you finish your shopping," Professor Snape stated while directing Ari towards the aforementioned shop.

Upon entering, Ari immediately noticed a difference in her professor's demeanor. Up until now, he had been agreeable, not overly friendly but not a complete jerk. Now he was standing in a corner glaring at everyone, mainly her.

"Come to get your robes, deary?" A short friendly witch questioned.

"Yes ma'am," Ari responded.

"Well, just wait right there. I am almost done with this young man," she instructed.

Ari then noticed that there was a young boy standing on the stool draped in what was to obviously become his school uniforms. It looked like he was one of those rich students if the silk material was anything to go by.

"All right deary, you can step down," the friendly witch stated. "I will be right back."

"So you going to Hogwarts too?" the young wizard questioned Ari. He was looking her up and down as if to determine if she was worthy of speaking to him.

"Yes, I just received my letter," Ari responded trying to figure out what he was aiming for with this conversation.

"My name is Draco Malfoy the first and only son of Lord and Lady Malfoy. Therefore, as you can tell by that, I am a pureblood wizard," bragged the young boy who was really starting to remind Ari of Dudley.

"How nice for you," was Ari's only response.

"Do you know what house you're going to be in? I know that most likely I am going to be in Slytherin since pretty much my entire family has been with a few Ravenclaws. I mean I can't be a Gryffindor since I actually know how to use my brain and I would simply die before I became a Hufflepuff," Draco continued on as if Ari's answer didn't faze him at all. "By the way, where are your parents?"

"They died before when I was little. What are Slytherin, Ravenclaw, Gryffindor, and Hufflepuff?" Ari responded not really wanting to talk about it so she tried to change the topic.

"Sorry about your parents. To answer your question, those are the names of the school houses," Draco responded sounding a little sorry about the girl who had no parents.

"They were our kind though, right and how do you not know about the school houses?" Draco questioned. He didn't yet notice the professor that was blending into the shadows in the corner. However, Ari noticed Professor Snape stiffen at the first part of the question.

"They were a witch and wizard if that is what you mean. As I said, they died when I was little, and my relatives kept magic a secret from me hoping that I wasn't going to be a witch," Ari answered trying to avoid stepping into the landmine that the first question obviously posed. She would have to ask the professor later.

"Good, the other kind just really doesn't fit in. I mean they don't even know about magic until they receive their letter," Draco continued on obviously happy with her answer and then realizing what he said. "I mean you are different. You were born a witch and your family kept it from you. By the way, what is your name?"

"Ari Potter," Ari answered. Draco's eyes widened in realization.

"You are Ari Potter?" Draco questioned.

"Yeah," Ari responded wondering why he was reacting this way to her name.

"Well that explains everything. Let me help you out. Really all you need to know is that there are three types of witches and wizards: purebloods, half-bloods, and muggleborn. Purebloods are like me and everybody in their family has magic. Half-bloods are families that have both muggle and magical blood. Finally, muggleborns are those that are born from all muggle families. Not that hard really. You are classified as a half-blood because of your mom," Draco explained.

"What was wrong with my mom?" Ari questioned not sure she wanted the answer. However, she also realized that she apparently would not have to ask the professor if Draco explained it to her.

"Your mom was a muggleborn. Therefore, you have muggle blood in your family," Draco explained calmly realizing that Ari would not understand everything right away.

At that moment, the witch came back in and told Draco that he was free to go.

"Well see you later than. Let's try and meet up on the train and I can explain some important stuff about Hogwarts before we arrive," Draco told Ari as he gathered his belongings to leave.

"Ok," Ari said and Draco left.

Ari spent the next hour getting fitted for school robes, skirts, shirts, sweaters, winter cloaks, and some everyday clothes. She got the everyday clothes because Professor Snape, who finally decided to come out of the shadows, stated that she needed some clothes that actually fit her. He warned her that without them she would most definitely be teased by her peers.

They left the store after being told the clothes would be owled to Ari when they were finished.

"I would be careful with the young Mister Malfoy if I were you, Ari," Professor Snape warned as they walked along.

"Why?" Ari questioned not wanting to believe that her possible new friend was someone to be avoided.

"It's not that something is wrong with Draco, Ari. However, you need to be careful around his father. Lord Malfoy is not somebody to take lightly," Professor Snape explained.

"Yes, sir," Ari responded. However, she decided she would withhold judgment until she got to talk to Draco again.

"Ok, let's get your potion ingredients next. I can pick up some supplies that I need while we are at it.

They entered Slug and Jiggers Apothecary, and Professor Snape led Ari over to the school kits.

"Grab a kit and then I will help you grab the other items that you will require. The kits never contain enough or everything that you need," he instructed Ari, and she quickly complied.

"Now we will grab some extra black beetle eyes, armadillo bile, mint, snake fangs, eye of newt, belladonna, and peppermint," he continued to grab ingredients that Ari would need for school, explaining that these tended to be the ones that students ran out of the most due to messing up while preparing them.

"You kit already includes phials and scales, so all we need to grab now is a cauldron," Professor Snape explained while directing Ari to the cauldrons. She grabbed a cauldron that fit the description of the one on her list and paid for all of her supplies.

After leaving the apothecary, they decided that they should head over to Ollivander's to get Ari her wand. This was the part that Ari looked forward to the most. Outside the shop Ari sensed an old magic. It wasn't hostile but it felt different from the rest of Diagon Alley. They walked inside and were greeted by a grey haired man.

"Ah, I was wondering when you would be arriving, Miss Potter. My name is Ollivander. Now which hand are you?" Ollivander greeted and questioned. His piercing, knowing gaze was starting to make Ari's skin crawl.

"Umm, I am right handed," Ari answered.

Ollivander nodded to this and then set a tape measure to measuring everything: arm length, height, distance between eyes, etc. The tape measure, and Mr. Ollivander, apparently did not know about the concept of personal space. Mr. Ollivander finally called back the tape measure and summoned about ten boxes to him. He handed Ari the wand that was inside the first one.

"Ash, sturdy, ten inches, and good for defense. Well, give it a wave," he instructed when he saw her just standing there.

Ari gave the wand a wave, feeling completely foolish. She looked around to see if anything happened. At first she saw nothing, but when she looked at Professor Snape, she couldn't help but laugh. Her stern professor's hair was red and gold.

Ollivander promptly took back that wand and handed her another. He didn't bother to give her its specifics, because he took it back the second her fingertips touched it.

It continued on like this for another half hour. Ari had blown up three shelves, the front window, and had turned Mr. Ollivander's robes pink. Even Professor Snape was starting to get interested.

"You are a tricky customer but have no worries we will find one for you," Ollivander exclaimed excitedly. Then his expression changed to one of wonder.

He ran to the back part of his store and came back a few minutes later with a black box. Ollivander hesitated for the smallest of seconds and then opened the box. He handed the wand to Ari.

"Holly, phoenix feather, and eleven inches," Ollivander stated.

The second that Ari grasped the wand, Ari knew it was right. She felt warmth coming from it. It felt right.

"Very interesting," Ollivander muttered but everyone heard him.

"What is interesting?" Ari inquired.

"I know every wand that I have ever made and sold, Miss Potter. Your wand has only one brother, and that brother gave you that scar. It is interesting that this wand would chose you. Most likely it feels a bond due to the scar its brother left," Ollivander explained.

Ari paid for the wand, and Professor Snape led her out of the store. Once outside, Professor Snape pulled Ari aside.

"Don't tell anybody what you found about your wand. Nobody wishes to think about the defeater of the Dark Lord having a twin core wand," Professor Snape instructed with great urgency.

"Let me guess, it could lead to me being shunned or treated poorly," Ari responded.

"Correct, Miss Potter," Professor Snape answered. Ari nodded in response and he knew she would keep it quiet.

Professor Snape then led her to Flourish and Blotts where she purchased her books and a few others. Some of the extra books that she picked up included: _Hogwarts a History_, _Quidditch Through the Ages_, and one known as _A Complete History of the Magical World: From Creation to Present_. The last one mentioned something about a goddess named Hecate that formed the wizarding world. It caught Ari's attention. Professor Snape agreed that it was wise for Ari to know was much as she could about the wizarding world before she went to Hogwarts. Therefore, he also recommended she get the book _Wizarding Etiquette and Culture_. It was a book about the customs and traditions of the wizarding world.

By the time that Ari had purchased all of the books, Professor Snape decided that they had everything else and so they would stop by Eeylops Owl Emporium and then would be done. At the shop, Ari purchased a nice cage for her owl along with some food and basic care supplies. She knew she would need to come up with a name for her new friend soon and hoped her books would give her some ideas.

Professor Snape shrunk all the bags and told Ari's owl, who had been following them all day, to head home before leading Ari out into the muggle part of London. There they decided to go to a nice little cafe for lunch.

"Professor, why did your attitude change when we went to get my robes?" Ari finally asked the question that had been bothering her all day.

"There are things in this world that you really should not concern yourself with Miss Potter and that is one of those things," Professor Snape responded shocked that she had been observant enough to notice.

With that the topic dropped, though Ari was not in the least happy with the answer. They finished their lunch and made their way to the subway. From the subway, they made their way back to Privet Drive. Once outside, Professor Snape stopped Ari.

"Your train leaves at exactly 11 o'clock on the first of September. Should your relatives refuse to get you there or you miss it due to your own stupidity, send a letter with your owl to Hogwarts and somebody will come and retrieve you. Under no circumstances are you to attempt to use magic. Understood?" Professor Snape instructed while trying to make sure he remembered everything. He handed her a ticket for the train.

"Yes, sir," Ari responded.

With that, they walked inside. Ari led the professor upstairs and he unshrunk her items for her and left the house. Ari's relatives avoided her for the rest of the summer, and Ari can honestly say she didn't care. While reading _A History of Magic_ she finally came across a name for her little friend.

"Little one, what do you think of the name Hedwig?" Ari questioned.

"_It is a very lovely name, m'lady. Is there any special meaning behind it?"_

"It was the name of a medieval medical witch who went around and healed the sick people that could not afford expensive physicians. She was named a saint for her good deeds," Ari explained.

"_That is a very lovely name, m'lady. I would love to be named after such a wonderful lady."_

"Then Hedwig is your name," Ari stated as though to finalize something of deep importance. Of course, the bond between these two was so strong that this was a very significant step.

Meanwhile, Professor Snape had apparated away to Hogwarts once he found a suitable abandoned alley. Once outside the gates, he quickly made his way to the office of the headmaster, who he knew was waiting for him.

He gave the password, skittles, to the gargoyle with great annoyance and opened the door once his knock was answered. Inside, the headmaster was extremely happy to see his professor had returned.

Headmaster Dumbledore was a wise and merry old man who had seen much in his 100+years of life. He knew that many of his employees found him annoying; however, he honestly believed that one should not live just to please others. He played the merry old, doting grandfather to put his students at ease and, honestly, it worked.

"Ahh, Severus, my boy, welcome back. I trust that everything went smoothly. Did you find out why young Miss Potter did not answer her letter?" Dumbledore asked.

"Yes, it went about as smoothly as possible with only a small run in with the young Malfoy boy as an obstacle. And, yes, I know why she did not respond to her letter," Professor Snape answered stiffly while hoping to make the headmaster see reason.

"And what reason would that be?" Dumbledore pushed.

"Her relatives took the letter from her and were not going to let her attend. Dumbledore, that child is neglected at best and abused severely at worst. The Dursleys didn't even tell her about her parents or magic. The child knows nothing of our world or her past. For crying out loud, I had to explain to her how her parents were murdered," Professor Snape began to rant not even noticing how the headmaster's eyes widened.

"What do you propose, Severus?" Dumbledore questioned.

"Pull her out of that house. It is not worth it if she is protected from outside forces but not the inside," Professor Snape urged.

"You know that I cannot do that. The wards that protect her are too important. You yourself know how much research it took to adjust those wards to accept her adopted family as blood protection," Professor Dumbledore responded.

"It is not worth it. You leave her there and eventually Ari will break or worst," Professor Snape stated trying to get his boss to see reason.

The headmaster thought about this for a few minutes. On one hand, he wanted the child to remain inside the wards where she was safe from the lingering dark wizards that wished her harm. On the other hand, if the child was truly being abused, then he needed to pull her out as soon as possible. This was, after all, a child that he considered to be almost his granddaughter.

"She must be there for at least the weeks before, of, and after her birthday. If you can find an acceptable substitute for the rest of summer I will consider it. However, let's not worry about it till near the end of the current school year," the headmaster conceded as he did not want the child to be horribly stressed.

"I see no reason for her to return at all. However, that is the best I am going to get isn't it?" Professor Snape inquired.

Professor Dumbledore nodded his head, and Professor Snape knew that he should just be glad that the headmaster was willing to compromise this much. He knew that the wards prevented Voldemort's remaining followers from being able to track down Ari. If it wasn't for those wards Ari would have probably not made it to her second birthday. The wards protected her when she was away from Hogwarts or the safety of a trusted wizarding family. So, Miss Potter would return but at least now it would only be for a couple of weeks and not the entire three months. Now, to find a trusted family to take her in the rest of the time.


End file.
